Whether you enjoy rap music or not, you got to admit that over time rappers have put out very popular songs with catchy beats and lyrics. In the world of music today, there are relatively fewer rappers use the catchy beats to write lyrics with any sort of strong, influential message. For those rappers who DO intend on relaying at least an occasional positive message with their lyrics, their efforts are often stymied by the mainstream. They are the rappers of the underground.
In 1995, a young, 20-year-old, underground artist from the streets of Harlem, New York would release his first album, entitled “Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous.” It would prove to be the only studio release of his lifetime, as he would be gunned down in February, 1999. This was just a few months shy of his 25th birthday. Ironically, though alone after leaving the recording studio, Big L was supposedly not the intended target of the drive-by shooting. Instead, the intended target was L’s older brother, Leroy, who would later be shot and killed only a few years later.
The content of Big L’s song “Street Struck,” (track 7 on “Lifestylez…”) can be described as an imminent warning to those who live the street thug life. The eponymous term, “Street Struck,” itself, is a slang adjective for people who are satisfied by living a fast-paced, dangerous lifestyle in the streets, whether by selling various drugs, fighting, robbing and mugging, burglarizing and thieving, illegally carrying, selling, and/or using guns, or running with criminal crews and gangs, among other things.
Those who are street-struck are said to not only be impressed by the tough thug life, but also believe that quick, easy money, no matter how illegal, so long as it is obtainable, is the best way to live out their lives.
In areas such as Harlem in the 1990’s, it was extremely rare that a family, let alone a single person, made honest money in order to support regular living expenses which includes rent, food, utilities, clothing, travel, and so on. On top of those luxurious expenditures like cars, jewelry, art, high-end clothing and shoes. Many younger people in Harlem at the time made their money by selling crack cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs-- not including those choose mugging, robbing, looting, or better yet-- betting on dice games.
Often times, this rowdy, younger crowd, would run with street crews and gangs in order to establish power as well as a sense of safety.
NOW. Flash forward to 2016. Over two decades later, and the lyrics to this very song still remain relevant. Let’s have a look at the song:
“Yo where I'm from it ain't cookies and cream
There's a lot of peer pressure growin up as a young teen
You never know when you gonna get wet
Cause mad clowns be catchin wreck with a tec just to get a rep
Instead of cool friends, they'd rather hang with male thugs
Instead of goin to school, they'd rather sell drugs
It's best to go the right route and not the wrong one
Because it's gonna catch up witchu in the long run
Brothers be all up on us, actin stupid, gettin lifted
They life is twisted, and most of them are quite gifted
In other words, they got TALENT; but they'd rather sell cracks
and bust gats and run the streets actin violent
To them it's all about hittin skinz and makin some easy green
Cause that's all they show you on the TV screen
All they care about is a buck or bustin a sweet nut
They don't give a (WHAT?) cause they street struck
Chorus:
You betta listen when L rhyme; cause bein street struck'll
get you nuttin but a bullet or jail time
So pay attention when L rhyme; cause bein street struck'll
get you nuttin but a bullet or jail time
Before the rap contract, I was sellin crack
Stay strapped with a Mac, I was into alla that
I started rappin and got nice as hell
If it wasn't for this I might be doin life in jail
And some of my peeps are still in the game sellin 'caine
If that's what you gotta do to maintain, go 'head and do your thang
But with the cash profit make an investment
And try not to go to the grave like the rest went
Cause you can be rich with crazy loot, own a house and nine cars
What good is that, if you're dead, or behind bars?
And yo it's not even funny
I've seen a lot of my peers give up they careers for some fast money
They could've been boxers, ballplayers or rap singers
Instead they bank robbers and crack slingers
Aiyyo they used to be legit kids, now they corrupt
They had dreams but gave em up cause they street struck
[Chorus: x2]
I still chill with my peeps in the streets; but most of the time
I'm in the crib, writin rhymes to some dope beats
Or either callin up some freaks to bone
But word up, I try to leave the streets alone
But it's crazy hard kid, in other words, it's spooky
The streets be callin me, like the crack be callin Pookie
It ain't a dumb joke, listen to this young folk
Cause where I'm from -- you can choke from the gunsmoke
Stay off the corners; that might be your best plan
Before you catch a bullet that was meant for the next man
Or end up with a deep cut
Or relaxin on a hospital bed, from bein street struck”
This song, in particular, is an imminent warning of what can happen to a person who lives and remains living that kind of street lifestyle. To some degree, it can be described as a coming-of-age realization. It's no surprise that by the age of 24, most people come to a better understanding and realization of how to live life. They age-out of their juvenile delinquent mentality and begin to become honest-living adults. The issue, as Big L outlines, is that many youths don’t have the chance to even reach that maturity; they are either put in prison for long periods of time, or they are killed.
Some people, who do have that chance, do not wise up and lead a more honest life. In criminology, these people are defined as “the chronic 8%,” so called because many long studies and research trials have shown that roughly 8% of all juvenile delinquents go on to regularly commit crime as adults.
The aim of this song, whether Big L knew it fully-well or not, is to speed up the aging-out process; for youths to come to the realization sooner than later. With a song by a musical artist in a genre of growing popularity, youth listeners could be influenced to come to the realization of honest and less dangerous living, and therefore, wise-up, age-out, and make better choices and rational decisions quicker.
Today, we still have a large population of youths who use, sell, and often times overdose on heroin, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, codeine, barbiturates, depressants, and other, often non-prescribed or illegally obtained drugs. These youths fall victim to themselves, often times with the push of his/her peers. Since the 80’s and 90’s, the amount of youths who grew into adulthood still abusing and/or selling drugs, acting violently and thuggishly as they had as juvenile delinquents, has grown.
“Street Struck” is somewhat of a call to action, perhaps much stronger an influence than the “get tough on drugs” stance in the law enforcement community.
If you are in a situation similar to what this song details, find help. If it’s someone you know, help them find the right help. You don’t have to like them, by the way—the person that you may not like, might be that way because of their drug use, alcohol abuse, or the lifestyle they lead as/with thugs and street gangs.
To find help, use any of the following:
- Find youth gang intervention in your area with this matrix: https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/SPT/Program-Mat...
- A Middle/High school Guidance Counselor (they will be able to help, whether or not the person who needs help attends that particular school)
- Alcoholics Anonymous:http://www.aa.org/
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) -AND/OR- http://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- Boys and Girls Clubs of America: www.bgca.org
- If you can’t seem to find the right help, SEARCH GOOGLE!
